Electric switch



E. G. KERMODE. ELECTRIC SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED JAN.25,1916.

, 1 34:9, 7 3 Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

Lil/(973607? fadn f e E, G. KERMODE.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED mmzs. I916.

1,349,573. I t ntedAug-17,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Ja n

PATENT OFFICE.

nmma e. moon, or CLEVELAND, 01110.

ELECTBIC SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

Application filed January 25, 1916. Serial No. 74,121.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ELMER G. KERMODE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an electric switch and has for one of its ob'ects to provide a service switch wherein all live parts are protected against liability of injury or accident, and which while normally locked and inclosed can be fused only while the switch is open but not while it is closed.

Additionally, the invention aims to provide a switch having the characteristics above stated and which can not be closed until the compartment or compartments containing the fuses is closed and locked. A further object is to provide a switch which is strong and. durable and efiicient, and which, while capable of being fused when the movable switch member is in off or open position, is so constructed that it is not possible for an unscrupulous consumer to make any connections with live parts by which current can be stolen from the service conductors.

The switch constructed in accordance with the preferred form of my invention includes a fire proof box carrying stationary con- "tacts and inclosing a movable switch member having movable contacts which are adapted to be moved into and out of cooperation relative with the stationary contacts. The said box or inclosure has a cover which can be sealed and locked and which is provided with a hinged or other suitable door or closure device for compartments containing fuses carried by the movable switch member, the said door being preferably so arranged and constructed that before it can be opened the switch must be in open position so that all parts carried by the movable switch member are dead, and must be closed and locked before the switch can be closed. By this construction there is, therefore, provided, a thoroughly inclosed switch which can be installed ahead of the meter, but which, nevertheless, can be fused by the consumer only at such time that liability of injury is avoided.

The switch embodying my invention comprises also other features of construction and arrangement which will be described in the specification and set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of the switch in closed position, parts being broken away to show a portion of the interior constructlon; F 1g. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same, the section being taken longitudinally of the switch; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view; Fig. 4: is a detail sectional view substantially along the line ls-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a top plan view with the cover removed; Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the switch open and the door for the fusing compartments unlocked and open; Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the cover and a portion of the movable switch member; and Fig. 8 is a similar view, showing a modification in the form of a door and of the portion of the movable switch member which cooperates therewith to prevent the opening of the door until the switch is open.

The switch embodying my invention includes a fireproof inclosure 10 preferably in the form of a metal box which incloses all the operating parts. This box, which is preferably rectangular in shape, as shown, is provided with a cover 11 which may be sealed or locked, or both, Fig. 3 showing both a lock 12 and a seal 13, it being understood that the cover is supposed to be sealed and locked or unsealed and unlocked only by an authorized person. The box 10 may have a metal bottom if desired, but is preferably provided with an insulating base 14, which constitutes the bottom of the box, as well as a support for stationary contacts. This base 14 may be secured in a box in different ways but preferably bears against the lower ears of corner brackets 15 and is secured thereto by bolts 16 located at the four corners of the box and on the interior as shown.

Secured to the base 14 are the stationary contacts 17 which in this case are four in number and in two pairs, the switch being a two-pole switch. Any suitable form of stationary contacts may be employed, but I prefer to employ, as is here shown, regular knife blade contacts. These contacts are electrically connected to terminal posts 18 which extend upwardly from the base and to which the incoming and outgoin conductors may be secured. These con uctors may be led into and from the box through base 14 and which constitutes a barrier separating the two pairs of contacts. The member 20 is provided also with a transverse barrier22 which separates the forward pair of contacts from the rear pair. Thus the four contacts are in separate compartments formed by the walls of the inclosure and by the longitudinal and the transverse barriers. The movable switch member is provided in addition to thebarriers 21 and 22 with an upstanding partition or barrier 23 which forms between the body of the movable switch member and the cover two fuse compartments 24.

Secured to the insulating switch member 20 and on the lower side of the body portion thereof are four movable contacts 25 which cooperate with the stationary contact 17, these movable contacts being in the form of blades which move between the pairs of upstanding blades of the stationary contact. The movable contacts 25 are separated by the barriers 21 and 22 the same as are the stationary contacts. Electrically connected to the movable contacts 25 and located in the two compartments 24-24 are fuse terminals 26, the pair located on each side of the partition or barrier 23 being electrically connected by a fuse 27.

The movable switch member may be actuated back and forth in the box or compartment by diiferent devices, but in this case the switch operating member is in the form of a knob 28 fastened to a pin or plunger 29 which extends through one end of the box and is secured to the movable switch member.

I provide in the cover 11 a hinged door 30 by which access may be had to the fuse compartments 24 when it is desired to fuse the switch when one or both the fuses have been blown, and in order that the switch may be fused with absolute safety I provide means whereby it is impossible to open this door and even to unlock the same unless the switch is moved to open position, and by the same features of construction the switch is prevented from being closed until the door is closed and locked. To prevent the opening of the door 30, unless the switch is in open position, I provide the door 30 with a portion 31 which swings down into the na rates box when the door 30 is raised, and opposlte the part which swings down into the 'box I provide an extension 32 of the movable switch member 20, this part being flush with the under side of the cover 11 when in normal position and acting as a stop or barrier for the part of the door which swings into the closure when the door is opened unless the switch is moved into full open position, in which event the part 32 of the movable switch member is moved beyond the said part of the door, as shown in Fig. 7, so that the door 30 can be swung freely upward. In Fig. 8 I have shown a slight modification of the door and of the cooperating part of the movable switch member which prevents the opening of the door except when the switch is open. In this case, the door 30 is provided with a fiat portion 31 extending beyond the hinge, said portion normally contacting with an extension 32 of the movable switch member when the switch is closed, and being adapted to swing down freely when the part 32 is moved beyond the part 31 of the door as when the switch is in full open position. As an additional precaution I provide for the door 30 a lock 33 provided with an arm 34 which is adapted to be swung over across the door, ,as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and provided with an elongated portion 35 just beneath the cover and projecting into an elongated slot 36 in the partition or barrier 23 of the movable switch barrier, the said slot 35 terminating in an enlargement 37. These parts are so arranged that the arm 34 which normally extends over the door 30, can not be swung to one side of the door 30 so as to permit the opening of the latter unless the switch is moved to full open position, in which event the enlargement 37 of the slot 36 in the partition 23 is moved up to the elongated part 39 of the lock. This will permit the arm 34 to be swung clear of the door 30 and it will also prevent the switch being closed unless the arm 34 is first swung to locking position.

Preferably the switch is provided with some suitable means for indicating whether the Switch is closed or open, and in this case the cover is provided with an opening 40 and the movable switch member 20 is provided with an extension 41 having the word On shown at 42 and also the word Ofi shown at 43 so positioned that the word On is beneath the opening 40 when the switch is closed and the word Off is beneath the opening when the switch is open. It will be seen from the construction above described that all live parts are inclosed, but at the same time the switch can be fused by the consumer without breaking the seal or unlocking the closure 11, but in fusing the switch there is absolutely no danger of the contact with live parts because access can not be had to the fuses unless the switch is previously opened, and the closure of the switch is absolutely prevented unless the door 30 is closed and locked as previously explained. Additionally, it is impossible with theconstruction above described for an unscrupulous person to make connections with any of the live parts of the switch for the purpose of stealing current, unless the cover is removed, but as this requires the breaking of the seal or unlocking of the closure it is not likely to occur because of the likelihood of detection.

As a further feature it may be mentioned that this switch is strong, durable and efiicient and there is practically no liability of flashing over between contacts or of the contacts bein bridged by foreign. particles because of the existence of the insulating bar-- riers which divide or separate the contacts of one pole from the contacts of the other pole and also separate the two contacts of each poleu \rVhiIe I have shown the preferred construction and have described the same in detail, I do not wish to be confined to the exact details shown, many parts of the construction can be modified without departing from my invention in its broadest aspect as defined in the appended claims or affecting its efficiency. For example,-the details of the door and of the locking device therefor may be modified and the details and shape of the insulating body of the movable switch member mav be altered particularly as to the location and shape of the barriers here shown as connected to the movable switch member. It may be stated that part or all of the depending barriers may be carried by the insulating base instead of the movable switch member although the construction here shown is preferable.

- Having described my invention, I claim:

1. An electric switchcomprising stationary contacts, a movable switch member having a pair of contacts and a fuse normally connecting the same. an inclosure for the switch forming with the movable switch member a fuse compartment, and a swinging door hinged to said inclosure and controlling access to said fuse compartment, said door having a part arranged to be shifted into the path of movement of the switch member when the door is opened, whereby the switch is locked in off position so long as the door remains open.

2. An electric switch comprising stationary contacts, a movable switch member having a pair of contacts and a fuse normally connecting the same, an inclosure for the switch forming with the movable switch member a fuse compartment, and a swinging door hinged to said inclosure and controlling access to said fuse compartment, said door having a part arranged to engage the switch member when the latter is in on position, whereby the door is held locked in closed position by said member.

3. An electric switch comprising stationary contacts, a movable switch member having a pair of contacts and 'a fuse normally connecting the same, an inclosure for the switch forming with the movable switch member a fuse compartment, and a swinging door hinged to said inclosure and controlling access to said fuse compartment, said door having a part arranged to engage the switch member when the latter is in on position, so that the door can not be opened until the switch member is moved to off position, said part being also adapted to be shifted into the path of movement of the switch member when the door is opened, whereby the switch is locked 'in off position until the door is closed.

4. An electric switch comprising an inclosure, stationary contacts therein, a mov-- able switch member comprising an insulating body provided on one side with contacts adapted to engage said fixed contacts, said body and a portion of the inclosure forming on the opposite side of the body a fuse compartment, a fuse in said compartment con necting the contacts carried by the switch member, and a swinging door hinged to the inclosure and controlling access to said compartment, said door having a part adapted to interlock with said switch member, whereby said door can be opened only when said switch member is in off position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

ELMER G. KERMODE. 

